Warewash machine with submersible cutlery basket

ABSTRACT

A warewash machine includes a chamber for receiving wares, the chamber having a spray zone with an associated spray system for spraying liquid onto wares passing therethrough and a collection tank below the spray zone. A strainer pan is located atop the collection tank and includes an optional first opening with an optional removable strainer bucket mounted therein and a second opening with a removable cutlery basket mounted therein. A method of washing cutlery with such a warewash machine is also described.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/649,775, filed Mar. 29, 2018, the entire content of which isincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates generally to warewashers such as those used incommercial applications such as cafeterias and restaurants and, moreparticularly, to a submersible cutlery basket for such warewashers.

BACKGROUND

Commercial warewashers commonly include a housing area which defines achamber with one or more washing and rinsing zones for dishes, pots pansand other wares. In conveyor-type machines wares are moved throughmultiple different spray zones within the housing for cleaning (e.g.,pre-wash, wash, post-wash (aka power rinse) and rinse zones). One ormore of the zones includes a tank in which liquid to be recirculated forspraying is heated in order to achieve desired cleaning. Other types ofmachines, such as hood-type batch machines, perform the washing andrinsing sequentially in a single spray zone including a tank below thespray zone.

In general, it is not uncommon for silverware/tableware or other cutleryto have tightly sticking food soils or, in worse situations when notcleaned instantly, dried food soils that are difficult to fully removeby cleaning. Food residues on cutlery are very unappealing, and it isdesirable to clean cutlery effectively. It is therefore common practicefor operators to run silverware/tableware or other cutlery throughwarewash machines more than once (i.e., more than one cleaning cycle) inorder to ensure full food soil removal even after the cutlery isconsidered fully sanitized by an initial cleaning cycle. Such multi-runsof cutlery lower machine productivity given the additional operator timeneeded to inspect and rerun the cutlery.

It would be desirable to provide a warewasher cutlery system thatenables effective cutlery cleaning without requiring additional operatoreffort.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a warewash machine includes a chamber for receivingwares, the chamber having a wash zone with an associated spray systemfor spraying liquid onto wares passing therethrough and a collectiontank below the wash zone. A strainer pan is located atop the collectiontank and includes a first opening with a removable strainer bucketmounted therein and a second opening with a removable cutlery basketmounted therein.

In another aspect, a warewash machine includes a chamber for receivingwares, the chamber having a wash zone with an associated spray systemfor spraying liquid onto wares passing therethrough and a collectiontank below the wash zone. A strainer pan is located atop the collectiontank and includes an opening with a removable cutlery basket mountedtherein.

In another aspect, a method of cleaning cutlery may include loading thecutlery into a cutlery basket and then removably mounting the cutlerybasket within an opening in a strainer pan located at or near the top ofa collection tank of a wash chamber of a warewash machine such that thecutlery basket extends into the collection tank. Then, one or morecleaning cycles of the warewash machine can be performed. In eachcleaning cycle, a wash liquid is recirculated between the collectiontank and a spray system for spraying the wash liquid onto wares in thewash chamber followed by spraying a rinse liquid onto the wares. Thecutlery is substantially submerged in the wash liquid in the collectiontank during the one or more cleaning cycles. After completion of the oneor more cleaning cycles, the cutlery basket may be removed from thestrainer pan.

The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanyingdrawings and the description below. Other features, objects, andadvantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and fromthe claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevation of one embodiment of a warewasher;

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FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a warewasher;

FIG. 3 is a schematic elevation of a warewasher with a submersiblecutlery basket;

FIG. 4 is a perspective of a cutlery basket; and

FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective of a strainer pan with strainer basketand cutlery basket mounted therein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary conveyor-type warewash machine,generally designated 10, is shown. Warewash machine 10 includes ahousing 11 that can receive racks 12 of soiled wares 14 from an inputside 16. The wares are moved through tunnel-like chambers from the inputside toward a blower dryer unit 18 at an opposite exit end 17 of thewarewash system by a suitable conveyor mechanism 20. Either continuouslyor intermittently moving conveyor mechanisms or combinations thereof maybe used, depending, for example, on the style, model and size of thewarewash system 10. Flight-type conveyors in which racks are not usedare also possible. In the illustrated example, the racks 12 of soiledwares 14 enter the warewash system 10 through a flexible curtain 22 intoa pre-wash chamber or zone 24 where sprays of liquid from upper andlower pre-wash manifolds 26 and 28 above and below the racks,respectively, function to flush heavier soil from the wares. The liquidfor this purpose comes from a tank 30 and is delivered to the manifoldsvia a pump 32 and supply conduit 34. A drain structure 36 provides asingle location where liquid is pumped from the tank 30 using the pump32. Via the same drain structure, liquid can also be drained from thetank and out of the machine via drain path 37, for example, for a tankcleaning operation.

The racks proceed to a next curtain 38 into a main wash chamber or zone40, where the wares are subject to sprays of cleansing wash liquid(e.g., typically water with detergent) from upper and lower washmanifolds 42 and 44 with spray nozzles 47 and 49, respectively, thesesprays being supplied through a supply conduit 46 by a pump 48, whichdraws from a main tank 50. A heater 58, such as an electrical immersionheater provided with suitable thermostatic controls (not shown),maintains the temperature of the cleansing liquid in the tank 50 at asuitable level. Not shown, but which may be included, is a device foradding a cleansing detergent to the liquid in tank 50. During normaloperation, pumps 32 and 48 are continuously driven, usually by separatemotors, once the warewash system 10 is started for a period of time.

The warewash system 10 may optionally include a power rinse (also knownas post-wash) chamber or zone (not shown) that is substantiallyidentical to main wash chamber 40. In such an instance, racks of waresproceed from the wash chamber 40 into the power rinse chamber, withinwhich heated rinse water is sprayed onto the wares from upper and lowermanifolds.

The racks 12 of wares 14 exit the main wash chamber 40 through a curtain52 into a final rinse chamber or zone 54. The final rinse chamber 54 isprovided with upper and lower spray heads 56, 57 that are supplied witha flow of fresh hot water via pipe 62 running from a hot water booster70 under the control of a solenoid valve (or alternatively any othersuitable valve capable of automatic control). A rack detector 64 may beactuated when a rack 12 of wares 14 is positioned in the final rinsechamber 54 and through suitable electrical controls (e.g., acontroller), the detector causes actuation of, for example, a solenoidvalve to open and admit the hot rinse water to the spray heads 56, 57.The water then drains from the wares and is directed into the tank 50 bygravity flow. The rinsed rack 12 of wares 14 then exits the final rinsechamber 54 through curtain 66, moving into dryer unit 18, before exitingthe outlet end 17 of the machine.

FIG. 2 shows a hood-type batch machine 100 in which racks are placed inthe spray zone and the full cleaning cycle (e.g., wash, rinse and dry)takes place while the rack is stationary. The warewash machine 100includes a housing 102 (e.g., with support frame and panels) in partdefining a chamber 104 with a wash zone 106. The chamber includes front,left and right access openings through which wares can be moved in andout of the chamber for cleaning. At least one spray arm is disposedabove or below the wash zone, the spray arm configured to spray liquidtoward the wash zone 106. In a typical machine both a wash spray arm anda rinse spray arm may be provided, with the wash spray arm fed by a pumpthat recirculates liquid from a collection sump or tank 110 below thewash zone, and the rinse spray arm fed by a pump (or line pressure) thatdelivers hot water from a hot water booster. The arms may, for example,be rotating arms. Upper and lower sets of arms may be implemented. Amulti-sided hood assembly 130 includes movable front, left, right andtop wall sections and, in some cases, a movable back wall may also beprovided (e.g., forming a box-like hood structure that is open at thebottom). The multi-sided hood assembly is movable (per arrow 132)between a lowered closed position for washing and a raised open position(illustrated in FIG. 1) for inlet and outlet of wares. When themulti-sided hood assembly is in the closed position it closes the accessopenings so that cleaning sprays within the chamber will be containedduring ware cleaning. When the multi-sided hood assembly is in the openposition the access openings are open as shown in FIG. 2 to permitaccess to the wash zone for inlet and egress of wares. Machines havingindependently movable door sections (e.g., front, left and ride) arealso contemplated.

A submersible cutlery basket that is usable in a warewash machine, suchas either of the machines of FIGS. 1 and 2, is provided. FIG. 3 shows anexemplary machine 300 with chamber 302, spray zone 304, wash arm 306,rinse arm 308 and collection tank 310. A strainer pan 312 is configuredto direct falling liquid into the tank 310 through a strainer bucket 314that is removably mounted in an opening 311 of the strainer pan 312. Thestrainer bucket 314 may include one or more sidewalls having a pluralityof openings 315 sized for capturing food debris falling within the washzone.

The strainer pan 312 includes a further opening 317 into which a cutlerybasket 320 is removably mounted. The cutlery basket 320 is sized andconfigured to provide submersion of a substantial majority of thecutlery items 322 located in the basket. For instance, at least 50%(e.g., such as at least 60%, at least 70%, at least 80% or at least 90%)of a height of the cutlery basket 320 may be positioned below anoperating liquid level of the collection tank. Embodiments in which anentire height of the cutlery basket 320 is submerged are also possible.The submerged (partially or fully) arrangement allows an operator towash regular wares while the cutlery soak in the wash liquid. Theturbulence of the wash liquid in the tank helps clean the cutlery. Inaddition, the operator can allow the cutlery to remain in the wash tankfor multiple cleaning cycles, without requiring the operator torepeatedly interact with and handle the cutlery between the cycles.After a desired number of cycles an operator then removes the cutlerybasket 320 and places the cutlery into a traditional ware rack 324 for afinal cleaning cycle.

As seen in FIG. 4, the cutlery basket 320 includes an upper handle 330,an upper grid member 332 forming cutlery receiving slots and including aplurality of openings, and a perforated sidewall 334 to allow relativefree flow of wash liquid through the cutlery basket for contact withcutlery therein. The cutlery basket may also include a removable solidlid or cover (not shown). Using such a solid lid or cover provides theadvantage of preventing heavier soils from falling into the cutlerybasket 320 from any wares present in the ware rack 324. The cutlerybasket 320 may include one or more sidewalls having a plurality ofopenings 335 sized for allowing free passage of water into and out ofthe cutlery basket. In one implementation, the openings may be formed bya mesh configuration of the sidewall(s). The average size of theopenings 335 of the cutlery basket 320, when present, are larger thanaverage size of the openings of the strainer bucket 314, when present.The larger size openings of the cutlery basket are intended to besufficiently large to reduce any capture of food soils within thecutlery basket.

A bottom wall 336 of the cutlery basket may be solid or perforated andis movably connected to the sidewall 334 to permit cutlery items to bereleased from the bottom of the basket. In this regard, a hingedconnection 338 may be utilized for this purpose, with a latch assembly340 provided to hold the bottom wall 336 in the closed condition toretain cutlery. The latch may, for example, be formed by a hook member342 having a portion that sits below the edge of the bottom wall, wherethe hook member 342 is operatively connected to a manual trigger 344proximate the handle 330. An operator can push the trigger 344 to causethe hook member 342 to shift to a release position that allows downwardpivot of the bottom wall 336 to drop the cutlery items out of the bottomof the cutlery basket. This assembly provides a convenient technique forthe operator to drop the cutlery items into a ware rack for a finalcleaning cycle. FIG. 5 shows a bottom view of a strainer pan 312 withboth strainer bucket 314 and cutlery basket 320 positioned therein.

Cutlery may be cleaned using a warewash machine with a submersiblecutlery basket similar to one described above. A method of cleaning mayinclude loading the cutlery into a cutlery basket and then removablymounting the cutlery basket within an opening in a strainer pan locatedat or near the top of a collection tank of a wash chamber of a warewashmachine such that the cutlery basket extends down into the collectiontank. Then, one or more cleaning cycles of the warewash machine can beperformed. In each cleaning cycle, a wash liquid is recirculated betweenthe collection tank and a spray system for spraying the wash liquid ontowares in a spray zone of the wash chamber followed by spraying of arinse liquid onto the wares. The cutlery is substantially submerged inthe wash liquid in the collection tank during the one or more cleaningcycles. After completion of the one or more cleaning cycles, the cutlerybasket may be removed from the strainer pan. Additionally, the cutlerycould be removed from the cutlery basket (e.g., using the dropoutfeature described above), placed above the strainer pan in the sprayzone, perhaps in a traditional ware rack for instance, and finallycleaned by running an additional cleaning cycle of the warewash machine.

The subject cutlery cleaning basket, system and method is simple, costeffective, fits in the footprint of the machine, ensures effectivecleaning and sanitization of cutlery and increases machine/operatorefficiency.

It is to be clearly understood that the above description is intended byway of illustration and example only and is not intended to be taken byway of limitation, and that changes and modifications are possible.Accordingly, other embodiments are contemplated and modifications andchanges could be made without departing from the scope of thisapplication.

What is claimed is:
 1. A warewash machine for washing wares, comprising:a chamber for receiving wares, the chamber having a spray zone with anassociated spray system for spraying liquid onto wares passingtherethrough and a collection tank below the spray zone; and a strainerpan located atop the collection tank and having a first opening with aremovable strainer bucket mounted therein and a second opening with aremovable cutlery basket mounted therein.
 2. The warewash machine ofclaim 1, wherein the cutlery basket is spaced apart from the strainerbasket.
 3. The warewash machine of claim 1, wherein the strainer bucketcomprises one or more sidewalls having a plurality of openings sized forcapturing falling food debris, wherein the cutlery basket includes oneor more sidewalls having a plurality of openings sized for allowing freepassage of water into and out of the cutlery basket, wherein an averagesize of the openings of the cutlery basket is larger than an averagesize of the openings of the strainer bucket.
 4. The warewash machine ofclaim 1, wherein the cutlery basket includes a removable lid or cover,the lid or cover being solid.
 5. The warewash machine of claim 1,wherein the cutlery basket includes a plurality of openings forreceiving cutlery.
 6. The warewash machine of claim 1, wherein at least50% of a height of the cutlery basket is positioned below an operatingliquid level of the collection tank and the cutlery basket includes aplurality of openings for allowing the liquid to flow into and out ofthe cutlery basket.
 7. The warewash machine of claim 1, wherein thecutlery basket includes a bottom wall portion that is movable between acutlery retention position and a cutlery dropout position.
 8. Thewarewash machine of claim 7, wherein the cutlery basket includes a latchsystem for releasably holding the bottom wall portion in the cutleryretention position.
 9. The warewash machine of claim 8, wherein thelatch system includes a latch trigger located toward a top portion ofthe cutlery basket.
 10. The warewash machine of claim 9, wherein thelatch trigger is positioned proximate a carrying handle of the cutlerybasket.
 11. The warewash machine of claim 1 wherein the strainer pan isconfigured to direct water flow toward the strainer bucket.
 12. A methodof cleaning cutlery, the method comprising: loading the cutlery into acutlery basket; removably mounting the cutlery basket within an openingin a strainer pan located atop a collection tank of a wash chamber of awarewash machine such that the cutlery basket extends into thecollection tank; running one or more cleaning cycles of the warewashmachine, wherein, in each cleaning cycle, a wash liquid is recirculatedbetween the collection tank and a spray system for spraying the washliquid onto wares in a spray zone of the wash chamber, the spray zonebeing located above the strainer pan and cutlery basket, followed byspraying of a rinse liquid onto the wares within the spray zone, whereinthe cutlery in the cutlery basket is substantially submerged in the washliquid in the collection tank during the one or more cleaning cycles;after completion of the one or more cleaning cycles, removing thecutlery basket from the strainer pan.
 13. The method of claim 12,further comprising: removing the cutlery from the cutlery basket;placing the cutlery in the spray zone of the warewash machine; andrunning an additional cleaning cycle of the warewash machine.
 14. Themethod of claim 13, wherein the cutlery basket includes a bottom wallportion that is movable between a cutlery retention position and acutlery dropout position; and wherein the removing the cutlery from thecutlery basket comprises moving the bottom wall portion to the cutlerydropout position.
 15. The method of claim 12, wherein the strainer panincludes an additional opening with a removable strainer bucket mountedtherein.
 16. A warewash machine for washing wares, comprising: a chamberfor receiving wares, the chamber having a spray zone with an associatedspray system for spraying liquid onto wares passing therethrough and acollection tank below the spray zone; and a strainer pan located atopthe collection tank and having an opening with a removable cutlerybasket mounted therein.
 17. The warewash machine of claim 16, wherein atleast 70% of a height of the cutlery basket is positioned below anoperating liquid level of the collection tank and the cutlery basketincludes a plurality of openings for allowing the liquid to flow intoand out of the cutlery basket.
 18. The warewash machine of claim 16,wherein the cutlery basket includes a bottom wall portion that ismovable between a cutlery retention position and a cutlery dropoutposition, wherein the cutlery basket includes a latch system forreleasably holding the bottom wall portion in the cutlery retentionposition.
 19. The warewash machine of claim 18, wherein the latch systemincludes a latch trigger located toward a top portion of the cutlerybasket, wherein the latch trigger is positioned proximate a carryinghandle of the cutlery basket.